A second Jimny five-door pre-production car has been snapped ahead of the model’s rumoured unveiling in January 2023.
The 2023 Suzuki Jimny five-door has been spotted again, this time being tested in the company’s key market of India.
Two months after the Jimny five-door was first spied in Europe (top), the long-wheelbase version of Suzuki’s highly popular off-roader has been caught on camera by Autocar India.
The report claims the new Jimny five-door will make its debut at the Auto Expo 2023 motor show, being held in the country’s capital of New Delhi in January.
As reported in July, the larger model is expected to increase its wheelbase by as much as 300mm, to 2550mm – meaning owners will no longer have to choose between carrying passengers or luggage.
The 5-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny has been spied in India for the first time ahead of its debut at #AutoExpo2023.
— Autocar India (@autocarindiamag) September 12, 2022
Here's everything you need to know: https://t.co/XQ7nIBeWJ2
Though the current three-door Jimny is offered with four seats, there is limited storage capacity between the second row and the rear door.
While the Jimny five-door has yet to be officially confirmed by Suzuki, the model is expected to make its way to Australia, with the company’s local boss indicating the vehicle is on the wish list.
“I can’t confirm whether that product [a five-door Jimny] even exists … I could tell you one thing for sure is that if that product was available for our market, we’d be the first in line to get as many as we possibly can, because based on just the general interest that we have from consumers out there that are eager to go a longer platform on that car,” Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told Drive last week.
The addition of a larger model could help the company find even more customers, with the Jimny breaking its monthly sales record in August – an increase of 20 per cent over its previous best result set in the month prior.
“I think that product will not only match three-door sales, but probably surpass [them], just based on that general interest that we get out there,” Pachota said.
“There’s not a week that goes past that we don’t get someone emailing us directly at Suzuki Australia asking us when that product’s coming, that they’d like to place an order.
“We’ve even had orders out there at dealerships, which we’ve actually told dealers to retract, to give the customers the deposits back, based on the fact that they can’t sign up something that doesn’t exist.”
Even without the five-door, sales of the Jimny are expected to reach new highs, with Suzuki Australia reporting an increase in online enquiries by 63 per cent following the announcement of a new black paint option two months ago.
There’s no confirmation as yet of what will power the larger Jimny five-door, but rumours – combined with a report from our spy photography partners back in July – points to the addition of a hybrid engine of some form, which would likely deliver increased performance without affecting fuel consumptions and emission output.
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